eMakhazeni

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


eMakhazeni
eMakhazeni (South Africa)
eMakhazeni
eMakhazeni
Coordinates 25 ° 41 '33 "  S , 30 ° 2' 14"  E Coordinates: 25 ° 41 '33 "  S , 30 ° 2' 14"  O
Basic data
Country South Africa

province

Mpumalanga
District Nkangala
local community Emakhazeni
height 1886 m
surface 35.8 km²
Residents 4466 (2011)
density 124.7  Ew. / km²
founding 1890
Monuments commemorating the Battle of Belfast
Monuments commemorating the Battle of Belfast

eMakhazeni , Belfast until 2009 , is a city in the South African province of Mpumalanga . It is the administrative seat of the municipality of Emakhazeni in the district of Nkangala .

geography

In 2011, 4466 people lived in the city. To the west is the township of Siyathuthuka, northwest of the Belfast Dam. eMakhazeni is one of the highest cities in South Africa. It is located in the northern foothills of the Drakensberg, west of Swaziland . Due to the altitude, it is one of the coldest cities in South Africa.

history

The place was founded in 1890 on the Tweefontein farm and named after Belfast , the hometown of shopkeeper Richard Charles O'Neill. In 1894 a first, provisional church was built; in the same year the railway also reached the place. During the Second Boer War , several skirmishes took place around Belfast, including on Monument Hill on the outskirts. During the war, the British set up a concentration camp in the city .

In eMakhazeni there is the oldest eucalyptus plantation in South Africa.

In 2009 the city was renamed eMakhazeni.

Economy and Transport

The main source of income is agriculture, especially sheep and dairy farming, but also maize cultivation and the production of tulip bulbs for export. In addition, hard coal and black granite are mined.

National Route 4 runs just south of eMakhazeni and connects Middelburg and Mbombela , among others . The R33 runs at right angles through the city, it connects eMakhazeni with Groblersdal in the northwest and Carolina in the southeast. The R540 branches off to the northeast and leads to Mashishing .

In the southeast of the city there is a station on the Pretoria – Maputo line , which is served by freight traffic. A branch line leads north to Mashishing and Steelpoort , which also has freight traffic. The Belfast Airport ( ICAO code FabH) is not used in regular service.

Web links

Commons : EMakhazeni  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. 2011 census , accessed December 15, 2015
  2. a b c Description at sa-venues.com (English), accessed on December 15, 2015
  3. a b Private website on the city ( memento of January 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (English), accessed on December 15, 2015